LIFELONG LEARNING

Photographer: Leonard Gren

One of the cornerstones from which I build my perspectives on learning, the museum and the exhibition, is that museums fully have to see themselves as part of a structure for lifelong learning.

Roughly speaking learning is organized in 3 ways;
Formal learning is publicly organized education which will lead to an exam. For the individual this type of learning is a mix between voluntary and optional learning.
Non-formal learning takes place parallel to the publicly organized educational system. It doesn´t automatically lead to an exam or a grade. It is optional for the individual and contains learning through organizations, associations, work etc.
Informal learning is semi-structured and a natural part of every day life. It is not intentional and does normally take place subconsiously to the individual.

The starting point for the museum is that of a mixture between non-formal and informal learning, but it can also function as a resource to school and the formal educational system and then become a part of a structure which supports formal learning.

The Lisbon declaration has been the momentum force forward for the development of a structure for Lifelong learning. Lifelong learning is the strategy for turning Europe into the world´strongest knowledge based economy by 2010. So there is strong political support for this perspective.

As I see it museums and exhibitions play an important part in a structure for Lifelong learning. Firstly as carriers of large amounts of embedded information and knowledge, especially about heritage. Secondly because museums and exhibitions can offer a learning environment which is different to the one offered by schools, an environment building on multimodality. But to fully take this part I think we have to look upon a few things;

• The Museum has to define itself as an environment for learning. A social arena for meaningmaking.
• The Museum has to upgrade their pedagogical activities regarding status, education, competence and resources.
• The Museum has to organize learning by developing and implementing pedagogical policy documents, curriculums and strategic plans.
• The Museum, and the sector, must develop methods that support a learning process which focus on collaboration and where the visitor takes an active part in the learning process.

But it is important that the museum and the exhibition develops their distinctive character as an alternative to the learning methods used at school and instead focus on multimodality and designtheoretical perspectives on learning.